


Lance Who?

by dark_owl_records



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Body Swap, Cuban Lance (Voltron), Flirting, Fluff, Healing Pod, Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, Team Bonding, Temporary Amnesia, guys i love coran coran the gorgeous man, mention of injury but no graphic details, temporary body switching with the mind meld machine, very self indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-30
Packaged: 2018-12-08 10:55:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11645121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dark_owl_records/pseuds/dark_owl_records
Summary: When Lance stumbles out of the healing pod, everyone is relieved to have their blue paladin back, but there is an unexpected side effect. Shenanigans ensue.----“Guys, I don’t think Lance lost his inhibitions.”“Yeah, we know, Keith,” Pidge says. “‘Like he normally has them?’” she imitates, lowering her voice and making an exaggerated huffy expression.“I do not sound like that!” he protests.Hunk hums in consideration before saying, “Actually, I think that was a pretty solid Keith impression, Pidge.”“Ha! You totally got that dude, nice one,” Lance whoops as he gives Pidge a sloppy high five, which she just manages to catch.Keith brushes them off, but there is a residue bitterness when he says, “I don’t think he’s lost his inhibitions, because think Lance lost his memory.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first voltron fic! this show has honestly taken control of my life  
> hope you enjoy :)
> 
> (also this was partially inspired by 'You can't even light blunts in space' by coulghoul so def check that fic out)

 

“How much longer do you think he’s gonna be in there?” Pidge asks, inspecting the glass and the still figure behind it. “I thought healing pods were meant to measure exactly to the nearest tick, but it’s not showing anything more than his vitals here.” She taps at the screen, as if to punctuate her point.

 

Keith squints at the flashing characters and symbols from afar. “You know we can’t read Altean, right?”

 

“I dunno, guys,” adds Hunk, placing down his tablet, “last time it was only a day and he was all messed up with his arm like…” trying to demonstrate, he pulls in his arm at an awkward angle, face strained with effort. Shiro gives him a look. 

 

He shrugs, letting his hand drop. “All I’m saying is it’s weird.”

 

“Hunk has a point,” Keith says, eyes trained on the blade in hand. Sitting against the cryopod across from the one Lance occupies, he distracts himself by carefully cleaning his set of arusian knives he’d been gifted. 

 

“Lance is going to be fine,” Shiro reassures. “Coran said he should he out by today at the latest.” He tries not to put emphasis on ‘the latest’. 

 

“He fell from several hundred feet, Shiro,” Pidge reminds him, glasses flashing as she moves to lean against the pod, arms crossed.

 

“The only reason he’s alive is because his suit’s emergency boosters slowed down the fall,” adds Hunk.

 

Shiro looks at them warily. “Right… I know that.”

 

It’s Hunk’s turn to give him a look before turning back to his work, continuing whatever latest project he and Pidge have been working on—Keith was always the last to know. Pidge’s fingers audibly tap against her arm in an agitated rhythm. 

 

Keith breaks the tension with a slow, “If anyone is going to fall like that and then survive, it would be Lance.” They all look to the pod unconsciously, expectantly. 

 

Nothing.

 

Their attention is torn away from Lance when the infirmary doors slide open, carrying in Coran’s voice. “Paladins! Good too see you’re all here.” He strides in, Allura following closely behind. “According to my estimations, Lance should be out in but a few doboshes!”

 

Allura agrees, “Yes, Lance will be completely healed soon. Granted, he did suffer some damage to the head which takes more time than other injuries sustained in the fall—” she approaches the pod, Pidge stepping aside to allow her access to the control panel “—which makes it harder to estimate the exact duration of the healing process.”

 

Coran cocks his head to get better look at the screen. “Yes, head trauma is a tricky business, but our pods are up to the challenge,” he says, patting it with hardy affection. “Lance is in good hands.”

 

“It’s been four days.” Keith stands, stashing his things into his belt. “That’s longer than anyone’s been in there before.”

 

“Ah, not entire true!” Coran is quick to respond. “Allura and I were in there for over ten thousand years.” He clamps a hand down on Keith’s shoulder, making him flinch at the sudden contact. The grin that Coran gives him is accented by a raised eyebrow, and he gestures to himself and the princess as proof of the pods’ effectiveness. “As soon as Lance was placed in there, you could be rest assured he would be just fine.”

 

Keith shrugs off his hand. “Right.”

 

“We’re not worried about the safety of the pods,” Pidge says. “We know how advanced Altean technology is. It’s just…”

 

“We miss Lance!” Hunk finishes, at the same time Keith says, “We can’t form Voltron without him.”

 

Allura narrows her eyes at Keith, who shrinks slightly under her gaze. Pidge nudges him. “I’m pretty sure that’s Keith for ‘I miss Lance’.”

 

He crosses his arms, but doesn’t argue, prompting a pleased noise from Pidge. “I see right through your aloof persona Keith Gyeong,” she warns.

 

Keith balks, “How do you know my last name?” 

 

“Guys,” Shiro interrupts, “can we please stay on topic?” 

 

They turn away from each other, mouths open to argue with Shiro, when the telltale hissing arises from the pod.

 

No one has enough time to react properly, but Allura, having felt the sudden burst of cool air on her back as the glass lifted, turns around just in time. That is, in time for Lance to stumble out and land unceremoniously in her stiff arms. The room is silent in shock as she holds him awkwardly, trying to prop up his limp body.

 

He groans, raising his head, eyes glassy and out of focus. His face, previously furrowed in confusion and discomfort, instantly smooths when he locks eyes with Allura. Their faces inches apart, he cracks a charming, if not entirely sober looking, smile. 

 

“Well, hello there, beautiful.”

 

“Yep, he’s alright,” Pidge announces.

 

Allura makes a sound of disgust and immediately drops him. He yelps in surprise at hitting the hard floor, and Keith lets out an involuntarily laugh. “Back to your usual self, I see,” Allura mutters. However, the tension in the room has evaporated and the team eagerly gathers around Lance, happy to have their blue paladin back. 

 

Sitting up, Lance rubs at his face as if trying to wake up, and looks around blearily.

 

“Good to have you back, Lance.” Shiro smiles, offering a hand to help him up and its taken without much thought.

 

He stands shakily, keeping hold of Shiro’s arm for stability. “Who?”

 

“Who what?” asks Hunk.

 

“I’m…” he begins, but finally seeming to grasp his surroundings and the faces around him, he stops, mouth gaping. 

 

Keith turns to Coran accusingly. “What’s wrong with him?”

 

Before Coran can try to answer, Lance lets out a long, “Wooooooooow.”

 

He breaks his grip on Shiro, only to sway, clearly unable to support himself on his two own feet yet. Pidge quickly moves to hold him up by his side and he slumps against her. “Am I in heaven?” he asks. “Cuz you guys are all like… really, really attractive.”

 

After a beat of silence, Hunk and Pidge break out into laughter. The yellow paladin actually wipes away a tear when he says, “Oh man, what did you guys use on him, laugh gas?”

 

Allura and Shiro look unimpressed, not unlike Keith who crosses his arms over his chest with a huff. Coran, however, seems to preen, looking rather pleased with himself at Lance’s comment—his chest puffed up as he strokes his mustache appreciatively.

 

“I mean, you’re kinda old though,” Lance adds apologetically, “with the mustache and all.”

 

Coran instantly deflates.

 

Pidge snorts loudly. 

 

Lance turns to her and continues, leaning his head closer to hers so he can whisper, not so discreetly, “You seem kinda young too, so you can be my little wingman for all of them.” He gestures loosely with his hand to the other three paladins and princess.

 

“Alright, alright,” Shiro interrupts, “I think that’s enough.”

 

Pidge hums in consideration, laughter having died down. “He seems to be pretty disoriented,” she hip checks him, making sure to keep him upright, “and unbalanced, but otherwise it’s like he just lost his filter for speech or something.”

 

Keith scoffs. “Like he normally has one?”

 

Lance pokes at Pidge’s check. “You know I can hear you, right?” he asks. “I’m pretty much on top of you.”

 

Pidge grins and replies quickly, “Yeah, I know, and I’m fully taking advantage of your confusion for my own entertainment.”

 

He narrows his eyes at her. “Just making sure you know,” he says, “because you guys keep talking like I’m not here.”

 

Shiro sighs. “Pidge, stop messing with Lance.”

 

“Are you the dad of the group?” he asks suddenly, having forgotten about Pidge. “Cuz I’m getting serious dad vibes from you.”

 

“What.”

 

Allura lets out a snicker, followed by an unconvincing coughing fit. Pidge smirks, “Yeah, he’s pretty drugged up, no way Lance would say that to Shiro normally.” 

 

“Yeah, he would die if he called Shiro dad by accident,” Hunk agrees, eyeing him suspiciously, “no way he would say it on purpose.”

 

Lance meet his gaze evenly with a raised eyebrow to match, resulting in an wordless staring contest between the two that is only interrupted when Keith says, “Guys, I don’t think Lance just lost his inhibitions.”

 

“Yeah, we know, Keith,” Pidge says. “‘Like he normally has them?’” she imitates, lowering her voice and making an exaggerated huffy expression. 

 

“I do not sound like that!” he protests.

 

Hunk hums in consideration before saying, “Actually, I think that was a pretty solid Keith impression, Pidge.”

 

“Ha! You totally got that dude, nice one,” Lance whoops as he gives Pidge a sloppy high five, which she just manages to catch. 

 

Keith brushes them off, but there is a residue bitterness when he says, “I don’t think he’s lost his inhibitions, because think Lance lost his memory.”

 

The group looks to him in surprise. Hunks small, nervous laugh exemplifying the unsettling shift in mood. Allura’s brow furrows in concern. 

 

“Keith, that’s very unlikely, I doubt…” she begins.

 

“He just called me ‘that dude,’ right now. You don't think that’s weird?” he argues, body language stiffening in frustration. 

 

Allura turns to Lance expectantly to settle their disagreement with a simple, ‘don’t worry, princess, I’d never forget you,’ and a wink, or whatever he might say. “Lance?” she questions, but is only met with an awkward ‘uhhhhh’ sound coming from a blank looking boy. 

 

“Oh,” says Coran, “I’m afraid Keith might be right.”

 

———

**TRANSCRIPT CONTENT**

**_15th Varga of the 2nd quintet of Spicolian movement - Cycle 32 - Decaphebe 340288_ **

 

**Coran:** -ink this will do the trick. Ah yes, red flashing light means recording, and we’re off.

 

**Keith:** I don’t understand why you’re recording this.

 

**Coran:** Ye have little faith, number four. I was specially trained in interrogations back in my days as an officer, this is just a necessary part of the process.

 

**Hunk** : Interrogation?

 

**Pidge** : I can crack him! Let me at ‘im, boys.

 

**Shiro** : This isn’t an interrogation, we’re just trying to figure out what’s going on with Lance’s memory.

 

**Coran** : Yes, yes, of course.

 

**Allura** : Our priority is to help Lance by finding out what effect his head trauma had on his memory and what we can do to help him recover fully.

 

**Shiro** : Thank you, princess.

 

**Pidge** : Ugh.

 

**Coran:** Here you go, lad, have a drink of water before we begin. 

 

**Lance** :Uh, thanks, mustache man. You gonna ask me questions now?

 

**Coran:** Yes, let’s begin. Are you ready?

 

**Lance:** Yep. 

 

**Coran:** Starting off simple, then. What is your name?

 

**Lance:** Lance?

 

**Shiro:** Was that a question or an answer?

 

**Lance:** My name is Lance.

 

**Pidge:** Objection! He only knows that because we keep calling him that.

 

**Keith:** Pidge, this isn’t a courtroom.

 

**Coran:** Sustained, number five! Alright, Lance, if that is your real name, what is your sure name.

 

**Keith** : He’s trying to say surname, as in your last name.

 

**Hunk:** Alvarez! His last name is Alvarez!

 

**Allura:** Hunk, this exercise is mean to decipher Lance’s knowledge, not to test your friendship.

 

**Pidge** : Like the newlywed game.

 

**Allura** : The what?

 

**Shiro:** Girls, focus. Hunk, don’t answer Lance’s questions.

 

**Hunk:** Right, right, right. Sorry about that guys. 

 

**Coran:** Lance what is your full name?

 

**Lance:** Leandro Jay Alvarez.

 

**Hunk:** Oh, guys, I totally forgot to say. Lance is like a nickname I gave him when we metbecause he got really annoyed that everyone was mispronouncing his name.

 

**Pidge:** That’s pretty crucial information, Hunk. 

 

**Keith:** Explains why he was so confused, I guess.

 

**Coran:** Ah, okay, no problem. Let’s continue. When were you born?

 

**Lance:** July 28th 2099. Nineties baby for life.

 

**Pidge:** That’s barely the nineties.

 

**Lance:** Okay, you’re like twelve. 

 

**Pidge:** UM.

 

**Shiro:** Hunk, can you confirm all of this as we go along?

 

**Hunk:** No prob, boss. He all right so far. 

 

**Shiro:** Great, thanks. 

 

**Coran:** Where do you live?

 

**Keith:** That’s not a fair question. 

 

**Hunk:** Yeah, like what is he supposed to say, that’s pretty objective. Is it here, or the garrison, or his parents house, or where? Who knows.

 

**Allura:** Where were you born, Lance?

 

**Lance:** Easy, I-

 

**Coran:** Princess, I believe I was heading this investigation!

 

**Shiro:** Not an investigation either.

 

**Allura:** Alright, Coran, feel free to continue.

 

**Coran:** Thank you. Now, Lance, where were you born?

 

**Lance:** Right. Varadero. See I remember stuff— you can take the boy out of Cuba, you can’t take Cuba out of the boy. 

 

**Hunk:** I can confirm that.

 

**Lance:** I like you, hairband guy. 

 

**Pidge:** Even when he has amnesia, you’re still his favourite. A bromance for the ages. 

 

**Hunk:** Aw. 

 

**Coran:** Bonded for life, as paladins of Voltron should be!

 

**Lance:** Pala-what of what?

 

**Coran:** Er, we’re getting distracted. Do you know where you are right now?

 

**Lance:** … Bright room?

 

**Pidge:** I swear he doesn’t remember shit.

 

**Shiro:** Pidge!

 

**Lance:** Whoa, the twelve year old swears. 

 

**Pidge:** Lance, I know you don’t remember who I am right now, but I know you. I know _intimate_ details about you—

 

**Keith:** Pidge, stop threatening him. He can barely stand up, he doesn’t need to be knocked down any more.

 

**Lance:** Um, excuse me, mullet man, I am perfectly capable of handling myself. They didn’t even know my name was Leandro. 

 

**Keith:** You don’t even remember me and you're still as annoyi— !

 

**Allura:** Alright! That’s enough, we aren’t getting anywhere. Either be quiet or everyone’s out but Hunk. 

 

**Keith:** Ugh **.**

 

**Coran:** Lance, do you remember how you got here?

 

**Lance:** I fell out of that thing and onto her. 

 

**Hunk:** No, he’s asking how you got on the space ship.

 

**Lance:** SPACE SHIP?

 

**Hunk:** Whoops, my bad. 

 

**Lance:** Oh my god, this is not—I thought your ears were like a body mod thing— IS THIS AN _ALIEN_ SPACESHIP?

 

**Shiro:** Oh no. Coran, stop th-

 

**END OF TRANSCRIPT**

 

———

 

After a solid twenty minutes of having to calm Lance down and explain their situation in the simplest terms — of course excluding Voltron which they could deal with later — Coran examines Lance’s condition. 

 

“Everything is in order, besides his memory of course, but it still seems Lance still has not regained full control of his limbs,” Coran observes, picking up one of his arms and letting it flop down. “Yes, very noodle-like consistency.”

 

Shiro surprises everyone when he interrupts to say, “Someone is going to have to carry Lance.”

 

“Can’t we just use a space gurney or something?” asks Hunk.

 

Coran looks at him curiously. “Gur knee?”

 

“You know, those flat medical things you can lay someone on and push them around?”

 

He strokes his chin, lips pursed for a moment before letting out a hesitant, “No?”

 

“I think it’s safe to say he doesn’t,” Keith says flatly.

 

Pidge pops up behind them. “Not it!” she calls. 

 

“Hey, hey, wait,” Lance cuts in from his place slumped on the floor, “if anyone is gonna carry me, shouldn’t I get to chose? From what I’ve gathered, I’m in a very delicate state.”

 

Pidge shrugs. “Yeah, sure, just chose someone so we can go eat,” she says, knowing she was unlikely to be picked anyway, being the smallest and having already dibsed.

 

Shiro shrugs, “Yeah, sure why not.” 

 

“Okay!” Lance says much too quickly, his face splitting into a familiar grin. “I want the angry, hot one with,” he gestures loosely with his hand, “the hair.”

 

“Eloquent as usual,” deadpans Keith.

 

Allura sighs, “Well, I can’t say I am surprised. I _am_ the strongest one anyway.” She moves forwards, grabbing Lance’s wrists and pulling him up.

 

“Oh, sorry, I was talking about Red over there,” Lance clarifies, dangling from Allura’s grip, “the emo looking one with the mullet.”

 

She freezes, losing her grasp on him as soon as he says it. 

 

No one catches him this time as he crashes to the floor once again, landing hard on his hip. The room is completely silent, the only noise being Lance’s squawk at being dropped.

 

“¡Coño!” he swears, grasping at his sore side. He gives Allura a hard look. "Will you stop dropping me? I thought we agreed I was delicate—at this rate I’ll have to go back into your weird healing thingy!”

 

She doesn’t seem to notice though, instead her gaze is focused on Keith. In fact, everyone’s eyes seemed to be on Keith suddenly. 

 

His face has quickly turned an alarming shade of red— which Lance is privately amused by, thinking his nickname was more appropriate than he could have imagined. However, it’s unclear to the rest of the group whether his face was heated with embarrassment or anger.

 

It doesn’t become any more clear when Keith splutters out a very delayed and impossibly loud, “WHAT.”

 

Lance’s grin instantly widens into what Pidge might classify as ‘shit eating’.

 

Shiro nods in Lance’s direction, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He is trying, and failing, to keep a straight face. “Come on then Keith.”

 

“ _What?_ ” he repeats.

 

“You heard the man, he picked you.” Shiro begins to head out the door. “Let’s go get dinner.”

 

Hunk and Pidge watch him, mouths still hanging open, before they look to each other and immediately burst into shameless giggles. They quickly follow behind Shiro.

 

That leaves Lance, Keith, and Allura.

 

She clears her throat and looks between the two of them — Keith who was still sporting a pink flush, and Lance who didn’t look any less pleased with himself. A diplomat as usual, she says, “Alright, I will see you at dinner,” and follows the direction of the others to the dinning hall.

 

Keith is still not looking at Lance, when he hears, “Are you gonna carry me bridal style or…?”

 

“Let’s get this over with.” He turns to face him and suddenly hoists Lance up with a not too gentle tug. He wraps his arm around the other’s waist and under his legs for support, allowing Lance to lean his weight onto him as they walk. Lance makes an unflattering noise of surprise, but quickly recovers, letting his arms loop around Keith’s neck. 

 

“Are you one of those people who is just really bad at taking compliments?” he asks.

 

“I will fucking drop you.”

 

Lance laughs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's some extra interrogation stuff that didn't end up in the fic
> 
> -what is the first event you can remember after injury?  
> -lance: “fell out of that thing” points to pod again  
> -keith: i don’t think this is working
> 
> -can you describe the last event you can recall before the accident?  
> -lance: “um i sort of…”  
> -shiro: yea?  
> -lance: “its fuzzy and jumbled, but i know stuff like- that time in middle school danny peed his pants and i gave him my pants cuz he had a presentation and was upset and then had to run home really fast shirtless cuz i was wearing my t-shirt as pants and my mom smacked me for being dumb but then made us arroz con leche cuz danny ended up getting a B+ and told her what happened” laughing - fond memory  
> -keith: what. the. fuck.  
> -hunk: wait we went to middle school together lance why do you remember me??! i was there the next day you had flip flop mark on your forehead i remember that  
> -lance: “um yea sorry dude- oh shit wait did we… did we do a choreographed dance to shakira for a talent show in 7th grade?”  
> -hunk: YES  
> -lance: OH MY GOD HUNK  
> -pidge: shakira???  
> -hunk: he likes old music - shrugs
> 
>  
> 
> -what is the year?  
> -lance: “year of the rat”  
> -shiro: what i don't know the chinese calendar is that right  
> -allura: what is ‘chinese’ ??  
> -pidge: I JUST LOOKED IT UP AND IT IS  
> -keith: what is the gregorian year?  
> -lance: yea i dunno - how old am i ? I'm feeling late teens right


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow it's been one day and already an update!  
> i swear i'm usually an incredibly slow writer but your encouragement really got to me lol  
> anyway hope you enjoy this chapter :)

“So what exactly is this stuff?” Lance raises his spoon to eye level, inspecting the green substance suspiciously as it jiggles.

 

“Food Goo,” Hunk supplies helpfully.

 

“Food. Goo,” Lance repeats, never tearing his gaze away from it. He tentatively sticks out his tongue, leaning forward to taste it with a light touch. His face twists in pleasant surprise when he finds it doesn’t taste anything like he was imagining. “Huh, its like meat jello, but not in a bad way?”

 

“Yea, it's not bad, but it’s pretty different from Earth food,” says Pidge, taking another bite from her own bowl. 

 

“Do you guys eat this everyday?” he asks.

 

“Nah,” Pidge answers. ”Hey, Red, pass the space salt, will you?”

 

Keith splutters, almost choking on his spoon. “My name isn’t Red!” His cheeks flush just enough to be noticeable—and it definitely is noticed. 

 

Pidge revels in these newfound buttons to push. She smiles innocently. “You are the red paladin, or are you not, Keith?” 

 

He grumbles, hunching back over his bowl as he continues to eat. 

 

“Uh, anyway,” Hunk says, turning to Lance, “we don’t only eat Food Goo. Whenever we can I get ingredients from different planets we visit on missions. We have scanners and everything to make sure their edible for humans and alteans, it’s pretty cool.”

 

“Yes," Coran agrees, “humans and alteans have surprisingly similar physiology as it turns out. The biggest difference of course is your _one_ bladder.”

 

“You have… more than one bladder?” Lance asks hesitantly.

 

“Of course, we need two,” Coran continues, “one for the—"

 

“Okay, I think that’s enough bodily function talk for the dinner table,” Shiro interrupts. 

 

“I, personally, would love to hear more about your two bladders, Coran,” Pidge argues. 

 

Allura gestures her spoon towards her. “Pidge, I will give you a full lesson on altean anatomy later, if we stop talking about it right now.”

 

Pidge shrugs, “Alright, that better not be an empty offer though.” She hits her fist against the table just enough to be audible. “I. Have. Questions.”

 

“Of course,” Allura agrees, taking another bite.

 

Shiro nods. “Thank you.”

 

“Okay, I know I was joking before, but he's totally dad material,” Lance says. He looks around to the others at the table. “Like I’m not the only one who just saw that right?”

 

Shiro opens his mouth to argue, but Keith beats him too it. “More like our mom,” he mutters.

 

Pidge suddenly coughs loudly, tears brimming in her eyes. At first Hunk reaches for her, worried she was choking on space goo too, but when she looks up her expression is anything but panicked. Her coughing quickly turns into laughter. “Keith!” she says, more than delighted. 

 

Keith offers her a small smile, but otherwise acts as if he said nothing. 

 

“Okay!” Shiro interjects. “Let’s have some dinner conversation.” Lance raises an eyebrow, mouthing ‘dinner conversation?’ to Hunk. He shrugs. “Any suggestions anyone?” Shiro looks around the table expectantly, pausing, “Not Pidge.”

 

“Um, excuse me—” she begins.

 

“I would like to hear more about Lance’s thought’s on Keith’s hot bod,” Hunk says. 

 

“I thought the ‘no Pidge’ thing was pretty clear,” Shiro sighs.

 

Hunk leans back, crossing his arms defensively. “I am my own person. Just because I’m not linked to Green doesn’t mean I don’t have a sense of curiosity.”

 

“Who are you,” Pidge questions, “to stand in the way of a young man’s blossoming curiosity?”

 

Shiro concedes with a purse of his lips and a spoonful of goo. 

 

Lance joins in, elaborating, “Well, I _definitely_ wouldn’t mind talking about Keith.”

 

“Let’s start with his hair, shall we?” asks Pidge.

 

“Lance is going to kill us when he get’s his memory back,” Shiro says, mostly to himself.

 

Keith straight up looked like he was gonna snap his spork in half. Shiro was familiar with the feeling, but he had only seen that expression on Keith’s face once before—he was fifteen and Shiro had tried to give him the sex talk. 

 

It was his job to act like the adult of the group, an older brother figure maybe, being the oldest, even if not by much. Allura and Coran didn’t really count when they decided to classify anything out of the ordinary as ‘human behaviour’ they didn’t understand. That said, he couldn’t help but somewhat enjoy Keith’s embarrassment. 

 

Lance continues regardless. “It is very mulletish, which would usually be a major issue,” he pauses in consideration, “but, it frames his grumpy face very nicely. Also, bonus points, it looks really soft. I would definitely braid that, ten out of ten.” 

 

“This is very interesting,” Coran muses. “You speak highly of him, yet you still inanely cannot stop provoking him, as if it was a core part of you untouched by memory loss.”

 

Pidge smirks. “Lance has a special way of waxing poetry about the color of Keith’s eyes, and then immediately insulting him.”

 

Keith frowns. “He didn’t mention my—”

 

“Oh, you have not heard poetry yet, buddy!” Lance proclaims. 

 

Allura ducks her head towards Coran. “Perhaps this is a human courtship ritual of some kind,” she suggests quietly. 

 

“I have also noticed,” Hunk begins, lifting a finger, “since the initial incident of falling out of the pod, Lance hasn’t even tried flirting with Allura again.”

 

Pidge immediately turns on Lance, eyes narrowing. “Curious.”

 

“You mean why I haven’t been hitting on her?” Lance asks, pointing his spoon at Allura. “Oh, that’s easy. She’s obviously gay.” 

 

Allura drops her spoon audibly. 

 

“Either that or she has a thing for muscle mom over there,” he nods in Shiro’s direction. “Not sure which, but definitely getting ‘not interested’ vibes.”

 

“Uhh,” Shiro lets out dumbly. 

 

“That…” Allura clears her throat, “that doesn’t usually deter you.”

 

Lance’s brow wrinkles. “Huh. I’m probably just messing with you when I do then?”

 

“I feel like so much is happening right now,” Pidge mumbles in awe. 

 

Coran taps his chin thoughtfully. “Indeed, this reminds me of one of my old favourite altean broadcasts, Quintents of Our Lives.”

 

Hunk stands suddenly. The scrapping of the chair against the floor snaps everyone back into attention as they look to him. “Who wants dessert?”

 

———

 

Tonight is Shiro and Pidge’s turn to clean up. Technically it was Hunk’s but as he helpfully pointed out, “I cooked so I’m exempt from dishes.” So, after clearing up and piling the bowls into what Lance assumes must be the altean equivalent of a dish washer, they trudge back into the dinning hall, slumping into their seats. 

 

Coran wastes no time, announcing, “It’s time for after dinner activities!” as soon as they’ve returned. 

 

The universal response from the paladins is an immediate long drawn-out groan. Keith even drops his head to the table. Lance is the only exception, looking between them curiously. 

 

“And why do we hate after dinner activities?” he asks hesitantly.

 

Coran smiles widely. “We don’t!”

 

“This is my least favourite part of the week,” Pidge mutters.

 

“You say that about most things,” Allura points out.

 

Pidge points to her, “Yes, and it’s always true.”

 

Keith lifts his head to address Lance, possibly for the first time since carrying him there. “We have to do team building exercises,” he explains.

 

“I love team building exercises!” Lance says happily.

 

Hunk sighs. “No, you really don’t.”

 

“Come on, guys, let’s get this over with,” Shiro urges, pushing out of his chair.

 

“I feel like we say that a lot,” says Pidge.

 

They reluctantly follow the two alteans to the training room, Lance and Hunk chatting all along the way there.

 

He still doesn’t fully remember his friend, but Lance knows basic facts about himself and could recall much of his childhood, some of which Hunk was there for. They had been best friends since middle school, so even though Lance couldn’t fully recover most of their memories together, Hunk carries a sense of familiarity that non of the others have. Lance easily feels most comfortable with him.

 

Hunk nudges Lance with his elbow playfully as they walk. “Do you remember that time when we were twelve and you tried to make me a cake for my birthday and you wouldn’t let anyone help you? You ended up accidentally using instant coffee instead of cocoa powder and no one could calm us down for like a solid thirty minutes.” He can't help but smile and the memory.

 

Lance thinks for a moment, then grins, turning to his friend. “I’m pretty sure I also didn’t follow the measurements so i put like, wayyyy more than I was meant to. My dad had to pick us up from school when we crashed—you fell asleep in the middle of the hallway.”

 

“Pre-teen you guys sound so dumb,” Pidge laughs. “Doesn’t seem like much has changed.”

 

“Hey!” Lance protests. “I might not fully know what current me is like because of this,” he gestures to himself as if that would suggest memory loss, “but I know I’m not twelve year old Lance. He sure was something else.”

 

Keith, who walks a little ahead of them with Shiro and Allura, looks over his shoulder when he says, “Last week you tried to help Hunk cook and ended up almost poisoning us.”

 

Lance squints at him suspiciously. “You’re making that up, Mullet.”

 

“Nah, we were all there,” says Pidge. “You definitely did that.”

 

“To be fair,” Hunk defends, “the poison looked a lot like the Balmeran spice I asked him to pass me, _and_ it wasn’t his fault that it was in the kitchen. That’s all on Keith.”

 

“Ha! So it’s Red’s fault,” Lance exclaims.

 

Keith huffs loudly. “I put it down for one second!”

 

Coran halts their pace as they make it to the training room’s doors. “Come on then, paladins, the team bonding begins now.” He places a hand to the identification control pad and the doors slide apart, allowing them entrance. 

 

Lance’s mouth gapes open as he gets a good look at the room ahead of him. “Whoa.” It had taken him some getting used to the ship when he had first woken up, but this was the highest tech, coolest training room he had ever seen. He would know too, when he was fourteen he used to spend hours online researching the Garrison’s facilities, eager to join the academy. 

 

“Yes, it’s very impressive.” Coran agrees. “I remember my grandfather designing it when I was a boy.” He smiles proudly. “However, we will not be using any of this equipment.”

 

“Aw, man.”

 

“Instead we will start with a trust exercise. Allura will demonstrate.”

 

She turns her back to Coran, parallel with him and crosses her arms to her chest. Then she leans back and allows herself to fall. Coran catches her easily, using the momentum to prop her back up. 

 

The group watches silently.

 

“We’re… doing trust falls?” Shiro asks.

 

“If that it was humans like to call it, yes,” says Allura. “I understand this seems strange but Lance has no memory of any of us besides Hunk, partially. He needs to be able to trust us, and us him, even if we need to start from the very beginning.”

 

Pidge shrugs. “I guess that makes sense. Let’s do this.”

 

Four paladins line up, facing the same direction, ready to take turns catching Lance. It goes rather smoothly— Lance being a naturally trusting person, he doesn’t hesitate to fall for anyone, except maybe Pidge. 

 

“I’m just saying, you’re like half my height. I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

 

“You’re legit a stick, just lean back. I can catch your bony ass.”

 

Lance purses his lips, holding back an argument. She sticks her tongue out at him. Either way he turns, let’s himself fall, and surprised to find Pidge is a lot stronger than she looks.

 

Hunk and Shiro have no problem, even pushing Lance lightly back into his standing position. When it comes to Keith, he lets him hang in his arms like Pidge had done, but Lance lingers in his hold perhaps a bit longer than he has to before he tells Keith to let him go and lowers to the floor into a sitting position. 

 

Cora claps his hands together. “Well done. Now we can move on to this!” He pulls out white and blue head sets, all attached with wires to a large box he holds up by the handle.

 

“Wait we’re going straight from trust falls, the most basic bonding exercise, to _mind melding_?” Hunk questions. 

 

“Yes!” Coran doesn’t seem to catch on to Hunk’s apprehension. “Everyone sit in a circle and we can begin.”

 

“Talk about one to a hundred,“ Pidge mutters. 

 

Lance sits crosslegged and lets Coran help him put on his headset while the others fix their own on. “So, what exactly are we doing?” he asks.

 

“Basically digging around each other’s heads,” Pidge says. He cant tell if she's joking or not.

 

“Are you sure this is the best idea while Lance hasn't recovered his memories?” Shiro cautions. “I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

 

Hunk turns on Coran. “Yeah, wait when will he get his memory back?” 

 

“We’re working on that,” Allura says, not looking up from the box which she is tinkering with as she prepares them for the mind meld. “Also, I’m putting it on a different setting than normal. This will not be an exercise in trying to become one in order to form Voltron— you won’t have access to each other’s memories.”

 

Lance raises a hand in question. “You guys still haven’t told me what exactly Voltron is.”

 

“Tomorrow,” she promises, “but for now we are going to do another, very different trust exercise. This will allow you too see through each others’ eyes.”

 

“This is gonna be so good,” Pidge whispers.

 

Allura’s hand hovers over something on the box. “Okay, get ready, paladins.”

 

Hunk looks around anxiously. “Wait, wait! I don’t understand what that even—”

 

It was too late, she had already pressed down hard on the start button.

 

All of the paladins’ faces suddenly go blank and their heads drop to their chests as if they had quite literally shut down. 

 

They wake up very slowly, and it doesn’t take too long to realize what Allura had meant.

 

Hunk looks down at his hand, clenching and unclenching it. The prosthetic acts exactly as his natural arm would. “Whoa.” He looks up to his friends and is immediately disoriented when he sees himself sitting next to him. “I’m Shiro!” he exclaims. His hand flies to his throat, “Wow, I sound different, this is weird.”

 

Suddenly Lance starts yelling, “Oh my god, I’m Lance! Why haven’t we done this before?” Thatis, Lance’s body does. “Guys, I’m actually a boy now!”

 

“Wait, I thought you _were_ a boy,” Hunk’s body says slowly.

 

“Hah, Lance forgot my reveal,” says Pidge. “There is a girl inside of you right now, dude.”

 

He purses his lips in contemplation. “That’s now how I pictured that happening.”

 

Pidge’s body lets a involuntary whine from her throat and immediately looks mortified.

 

Pidge smiles, her grin stretching across Lance’s face. “Hey, Keith. That you?”

 

The glare her body gives her is answer enough.

 

“Hunk, your body feels like super different from mine,” Lance observes, prodding at his borrowed face, “but if I had to choose anyone’s body to temporarily live in, I’m glad it’s you, buddy.”

 

“Aw, thanks, Lance. It’s super weird to hear myself say that.”

 

“Now, this,” Pidge says, twisting to face Coran, “is a good team bonding exercise. Usually you make us electrocute ourselves.”

 

Coran huffs. “It isn’t the maze’s fault you can’t properly follow directions.”

 

Shiro speaks for the first time, looking up from Keith’s hands, when he says, “Keith, these gloves are so hot, why do you wear them all the time? This can’t be comfortable.”

 

“It’s for grip,” he argues.

 

Lance raises an eyebrow, “On what?”

 

“Lance don’t use my body to flirt with Keith,” Hunk whines. Pidge can’t help but laugh at the whole thing, she’s never seen Shiro’s face make that expression before, it looks foreign on him. Not to mention she technically just saw Hunk flirt with her.

 

Lance gives in. “Fiiine.”

 

Keith seems to be distracting himself with Pidge’s glasses when his hands still, holding them in front of her face. Realisation dawns on him then. 

 

“These glasses aren’t prescription.” He looks around, squinting at the others and the room. “Pidge,” he says, “you don’t even need glasses, your vision is fine.”

 

Lance’s body fidgets awkwardly. “Uh.”

 

Keith’s body smiles sadly. “She looks just like younger Matt with them on.”

 

She looks up, locking eyes with Shiro. Matching his expression, a tear suddenly falling down her cheek. She huffs in surprise, wiping it away quickly. “Jesus, Lance, your body cries so easily,” she complains, but her smile gives her away.

 

He leans back, arms behind him. “I’m an emotional guy. Don’t be afraid to cry, Pidgeotto.”

 

“Oh god, that nickname again.”

 

“Also, I don’t know who Matt is, but I think this whole body switching thing is getting to us,” says Lance. “Are we going to share our feelings? Oh! We should play truth or dare.”

 

“No,” Hunk groans. “No way in hell I’m letting you play truth or dare in my body. We shouldn’t even play it with our own bodies.”

 

Lance pouts. “You’re no fun.”

 

Allura interrupts when she announces, “Paladins, you have one dobosh before you return to your own bodies,” looking down at her time piece. 

 

Shiro nods Keith’s head. “Got it, Princess.” 

 

“Whoa, whoa, wait,” says Lance, leaning forward eagerly. “She’s a princess?”

 

“Yes, I am princess of Altea,” she pauses, “a planet which unfortunately does not exist anymore.” 

 

Lance looks conflicted when he says, “Oh, wow, I’m really sorry.” He instantly tries to lift the mood though, realising his error. “That explains why I’m always flirting with you, though. Beautiful princesses were my thing as a kid— that and cowboys. I guess that never went away.”

 

She smiles softly. “Thank you, Lance. I have to admit, though, it is strange hearing you speak through Hunk.”

 

“Heh, you and me both, Princess.”

 

Coran looks over her shoulder to read the time. “Oh, only ten ticks now! If you have anything you wish to do, you better do it now,” he jokes. 

 

Pidge suddenly has a devilish look in her eyes, and only gives her body a quick flash of a smile before she leaps forwards. “Shiro!”

 

Luckily the wire is long enough that her headset is not yanked off when Shiro catches her in Keith’s arms, landing just on his lap. She wraps her arms around his chest, tucking her head into his neck. “Watch this shit,” she whispers.

 

Keith looks horrified as soon as he realises what she’s done but it’s too late to do anything before he feels himself lose consciousness. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor keef i love messing with him


End file.
